Working alongside the rest of the team of food buyers, technologist and product developers is another big plus. You get to see the equation from their side, so you can factor all this into your decision making process - which, incidentally, you're expected to do from an early stage. ' 'Obviously, M&S is a massive operation; it's an iconic retail brand. We are the benchmark for the industry. This means a lot will be expected of you. But, as long as you're prepared to drive your career and make the most of the available opportunities, you'll get all the support you need to succeed. Buying has so many touchpoints with the rest of the business. This means you can have a great deal of influence. But with that influence comes responsibility. To live up to these you need to understand the bigger picture. You have to have everything from sound analytical skills and a solid grasp of the commercial to how we work with supply chain and our external suppliers. ' 'The real key to getting things right, however, rests on your ability to understand our relationship with our customers.
But I needed to find an employer who could give me the breadth of exposure to make me the complete package. M&S stood out from the crowd for me, inasmuch as their scheme was geared towards helping me acquire the additional skills I needed to progress quickly. ' 'What the business really excels at is identifying your strengths and weaknesses. The graduate scheme has been constructed in a way to enhance the former and work intensively on the latter. It really does give you a broader understanding of the food industry. The focus extends beyond food to take in all of the other disciplines that you need to master in order to become a more well-rounded professional. So if you have a business-related degree, you'll get to learn about the food side. My need was to acquire the commercial skills and M&S was the ideal place to do so. ' 'It's very much a hands-on, learn-by-doing kind of role. You're allowed to make mistakes too. The business recognises that this is how you develop and you'll be given constructive feedback so you get the positive from the negative.
About M&S - Marks and Spencer Researched & Written by Kara Lidberg on the FlexJobs Team M&S - Marks and Spencer is a United Kingdom-based retail company that is known for its award-winning homeware, clothing, and food, as well as many other high-quality products. Even though it's headquartered in London, England, the company serves more than 30 million customers throughout the world. M&S is focused on sustainability and has pledged to, by 2025, make itself a zero-waste business; help 10 million people lead healthier, happier lives; and support 1, 000 communities. The Marks & Spencer team consists of a group of talented people who stay up-to-date on digital innovations, love to work with others, and are passionate about the company's sustainability program. As the company continues to grow, creative and quick-witted professionals who are able to receive and implement feedback respectfully and effectively, have excellent written and verbal skills, and are confident and influential are encouraged to apply for open roles.
Marks & Spencer's online application form is fairly straightforward. You will need to fill out some basic personal information and details of your secondary and university education. This is followed by a section on your work experience. You will need to outline your responsibilities for that role and answer the question, 'What did you learn from this experience? If this influenced your choice of career, please explain how' (more help on this below). You will then need to upload a CV. When writing your CV, think about what you would like to tell Marks & Spencer's recruiters that the online form didn't ask you for. For example, the university education section doesn't ask for any details of relevant modules or projects. You might decide that you want to mention a few relevant modules in your CV. The online form also doesn't ask for any details of your extracurricular activities so you might decide to include a section on this in your CV. Use the work experience section and CV to show that you have the skills Marks & Spencer's wants Marks & Spencer outlines certain skills it is looking for in its graduates, which can be found on the individual graduate scheme descriptions.